Category Archives: Dolphins

Carbon Footprint Reduction, Dolphins

Circularity

I just read an interesting article, “Iceland Makes Circularity Look Effortless”  by Sarah Golden.  You may be wondering “what is circularity?”.  It an economic model that emphasizes reduce, reuse and recycle; and transforms the way we think about what goes into the garbage.  It challenges manufacturers to consider what happens to products after they land in the hands of consumers.  In a nutshell, it is about not creating waste.   99% of the things we buy end up in the trash within 6 months.  And we have already dumped 10 million tonnes of plastic into the ocean.  It would be better for humans, as well as wildlife, if more businesses and all of us adopted a circular model.  No one likes to swim in plastic, neither do the dolphins

Animals, Dolphins, Nature

Biodiversity & Climate Change

Pink River Dolphins

The World Wildlife Fund recently released its “Living Planet” report. Sadly, there has been a 69% drop in the numbers of mammals, birds, amphibians, reptiles and fish since 1970. Populations in the Caribbean and Latin America did the worst, with an average decline of 94%. Global freshwater species also declined by 83% on average. The report said the key drivers of biodiversity decline include habitat loss, species overexploitation, invasive species, pollution, climate change and disease.

Anyone who cares about animals and wildlife must urge policymakers to transform economies so that natural resources are properly valued. Since biodiversity loss and climate change share many of the same underlying causes actions which transform food production and consumption, cut emissions, and increase investment in conservation can mitigate both.

“The world is waking up to the fact that our future depends on reversing the loss of nature just as much as it depends on addressing climate change. And you can’t solve one without solving the other,” says Carter Roberts, president and CEO of WWF-US. “Everyone has a role to play in reversing these trends, from individuals to companies to governments.”

Animals, Dolphins, Leadership, Sea Turtles

Our Oceans – How You Can Make a Positive Difference

Every minute, one garbage truck of plastic is dumped into our oceans.

Sadly, much of the fish we eat has consumed plastic.

The mass of plastic dumped in the ocean is so large that is hard to picture. It covers areas that are bigger than some large countries, such as Mexico, or states like Texas. This pollution has an enormous effect on marine life. Can you imagine if someone dumped tons and tons of garbage inside your house –in your dining room, living room and bedroom?

If nothing changes, by 2050 there will be more plastic in the oceans than fish (by weight).

Fish and other marine creatures like sea turtles often can’t distinguish plastic items from food; the plastic they consume blocks their digestive systems and can often result in starvation. Marine wildlife like dolphins face other harmful consequences of plastic pollution since they get ensnared in bags and other items such as abandoned fishing lines and nets.

When you throw away a piece of plastic, you might think that you are just getting rid of a simple piece of garbage and someone else will take care of it. What if it ends up in the ocean? Have you ever thought about that?

One way you can help is to reduce the amount of items you buy which are wrapped or made of plastic.  You can also make sure your garbage ends up in a waste bin and not in the ocean.  Lastly, you call your senators and congress members and tell them efficient waste management structures must be put into place.  Trash thrown into improperly managed landfills is not what anyone wants, especially when that trash ends up in the water where you swim or in the belly of a fish you will eat.

Animals, Dolphins

Baby Dolphin News

Baby_bottlenose_dolphinApril 20th marked the six year anniversary of the BP  oil rig explosion in the Gulf of Mexico.  Sadly, it was the largest man-made oil spill in history.  3 million barrels of oil were dumped into the water and caused the death of 11 men and countless animals.  Again, I  have never heard of a solar spill.  It is time to end our use of fossil fuels like oil and natural gas.  And it is time to end offshore drilling.

Here are some facts below.

NOAA reported 1,400 whales and dolphins have been found dead since 2010.  And that number is likely to be very low since that was only the count of animals which washed ashore.

88% of nearly 360 dolphin babies and stillbirths had abnormal or underdeveloped lungs.

“The Deepwater Horizon oil spill severely harmed the reproductive health of dolphin living in the oil spill footprint,” veterinarian Teri Rowles, who is overseeing NOAA’s study of the ongoing die-off, said in a statement.

 Dolphins in the spill area were also more likely to lose their babies and suffer infections during their gestation periods.

Carbon Footprint Reduction, Dolphins, Oceans, Seals

An Ocean Full of Plastic?

plasticoceans.net
plasticoceans.net

Plastics, they are everywhere –we type on keyboards made from them , we drink and eat out of bottles and plates made from them and we use them for cars and all sorts of things. Gone are the days where people like my grandparents used glass bottles and plates, and where cars were composed mostly of metal.

The use of plastic has increased by twenty times in the last 50 years and is expected to double again in the next 20 years. That is staggering. What saddens me the most is that our oceans, by 2050, will contain more plastic in terms of weight, than fish. Whales, dolphins, seals, and sea-birds end up eating the plastic and then die from intestinal blockages, choking or starvation. I once met a beautiful seal at an animal hospital. Her stomach was so full of plastic things that 22 days went by before all of it was out. Fortunately, she was one of the lucky seals, she was saved before it was too late.

Is there any good news? We can work together to produce less waste and slow climate change. Plus, we can make sure we recycle our plastics. Almost one-third of all plastic never gets collected and ends up in our oceans. We can also change how we manufacture things. Instead of plastic we can use hemp. It can be used to make containers and in car production. As I wrote in an earlier blog, hemp is also biodegradable.

Let’s get together and stop using plastics. Our oceans will thank you and so will the animals in them.

Dolphins, Oceans, Seals

The beach report –what did you find?

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Plastic Beach Garbage

I had the chance to spend some time in Canada recently and am always amazed by its beauty and the friendliness of its inhabitants. I was also impressed by the lack of population density. It felt like there was room to breathe and open space all around me. In fact, Canada has 27.5% more wooded and forested land than the United States. And it has a lot more land per head.

One of my favorite things to do in Canada is watch the seals. They swim north in the summer months, fatten up on fish, and get ready for the winter months yet to come. Yet, I was saddened by all of the garbage that had washed up on the shores. I spent a lot of time picking up Pepsi soda cans, plastic water bottles, Clorox bleach bottles, plastic fishing rope, rubber bands, plastic garbage bags, candy wrappers and huge plastic fishing bins. I found garbage all over beautiful beaches which are normally free of litter. I found garbage in places that I adore. I picked up crates full of garbage, hauled them off the beach, and disposed of the items in trash cans. I even reported my findings to the appropriate authorities. And I suggested community groups be organized to do volunteer beach clean-ups.

I thought about a lot of things in Canada. My grandparents did not live with all of the plastic that we do. They had glass containers and maybe a few paper cartons. They never bought water in plastic bottles. They lived in a different time but they knew how to conserve and recycle. It is time for us to be more like our grandparents. Can you imagine swimming in an ocean filled with plastic? That is what we oblige the seals and dolphins to do. It is time to stop using so much plastic. Write me and tell me about your beach finds.

Dolphins, Oil spills

Dolphins, oil spills, and mushrooms –what do they have in common?

Oyster_Mushroom,_Enfield,_UKI am sure many of you heard or read about the BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. On April 20, 2010 the Deepwater Horizon oil rig exploded, killing 11 men and unleashing natural gas and oil into the Gulf. In fact, 134 million pounds of crude oil and 4 million pounds of gas went into the water. More than twenty species of wildlife were affected and many fishermen lost their way of life. Plus, scientists are still investigating the effects of the spill on the ecosystem.

So far, we know ongoing dolphin deaths are connected to the disaster, and 2014 witnessed dolphin deaths at four times historic levels on the coast of Louisiana. We also know 32% of laughing gulls in the Gulf died as a result of the spill, coral colonies are showing significant oil damage, 12% of brown pelicans lost their lives, and 27,000-65,000 Kemp ridley sea turtles died. Sadly, there are many more findings.

What is the good news? Scientist, Paul Stamets of Washington, has found that oyster mushrooms can eat petroleum. He is well-known for his research and has been working with the EPA, the Washington State of Transportation, the Amazon Microrenewal Project in Ecuador, and others. He even has a plan for the Fukushima nuclear disaster. After the tsunami hit in 2011 he posted “The Nuclear Forest Recovery Zone” based on the fact that mushrooms can remove and absorb heavy metals from soils.

It is time to reduce our dependence on fossil fuels and move to alternative energy. Yet until we get off the fossil fuel diet, it is amazing to know that people are working on novel ways to clean up destructive chemicals and hazardous waste. Dolphins and humans can all benefit from some amazing mushrooms.